1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a computer readable program, and a storage medium product storing a computer readable program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, method and program which are employed to produce printing data to be printed by a printing device, and a storage medium product storing a computer readable program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, printing data creation processing (specifically processing by a printer driver) is executed in an information processing apparatus which creates printing data to be printed by a printing device (referred to as a “printer” hereinafter). The printer operates in a plurality of operation modes and printing conditions, e.g., a vector graphics printing mode in which the printer driver creates PDL data and the printer develops the PDL data (referred to as a “PDL mode” hereinafter) and a raster graphics printing mode in which the printer driver creates image data (referred to as an “image mode” hereinafter). In such a situation, for selection of the development mode (PDL mode and image mode), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-129583 has proposed a printing controller having the function of automatically selecting the printing mode.
In a conventional printer driver, the development mode may be automatically selected as required. However, a plurality of printing conditions (print setting information), such as color gradation and resolution, must be directly instructed by users on a print setting sheet for a printer driver, or are processed at fixed values. When users directly set the operation mode and the printing conditions, they are required to have sufficient knowledge to understand the characteristics of a document to be printed and a combination of the operation mode and the printing conditions which is optimum for the document characteristics. Therefore, it has been usual that many general users, who have not sufficient knowledge about the print processing, make printing with no changes in the initial settings of a printer driver and hence cannot obtain optimum printing results.
The above-described problem similarly arises in a printer driver having the function of automatically selecting the printing mode. When users are not contented with the printing conditions fixedly determined by the function of automatically selecting the printing mode, they must directly select the development mode and the various printing conditions. Thus, burdens imposed upon users in optimum print setting have been substantial.